Beside You in Time
by Arkashad
Summary: After completing the Chuunin exam, Team Gai begins to evolve. An internal, silent conflict arises between the most inseparable duo in Konoha. But time changes things...GaiLee.Encompasses the whole Naruto cast overtime, and pairings abound everywhere!
1. Chapter 1

- i n c o m i n g t r a n s m i s s i o n . . . -

Hey guys. It's been a while since I've even submitted to let alone write a Naruto fanfic. I figured I should just lay out my Naruto interests flat:

-Big fan of Sasu/Naru

-Gai and Lee are meant to be (however weird that is..and I know it's weird, but I want a challenge!)

-mildly interested in KakaIru

-The rest are straight. I'm sorry, but Neji is too damn fine for me to make him a yaoi-boy.

So that should give you a little insight as to what to expect in this fic. I'm not going to guarantee anything- Hell, I don't even have a guided path for this one. Hopefully I'll be inspired as I go along. And maybe you can be part of that inspiration! I mean, it's pretty hard come by as it is.

If it's not clear with you yet- YES. This is a story about gay love. Boy on boy. Well, scratch that, man on boy! I'm not usually a fan, but I felt it appropriate with them. If you've come across this unknowing of what it is and are offended, I apologize, and you can go about your merry way. I don't truly believe this is what's going on in the anime, but hell, it'd be amusing if it was. This is just entertainment for a certain crowd.

So, if you're part of that crowd, you're in for a treat!

Hope you all enjoy this!

- / e n d t r a n s m i s s i o n -

It had been one of the most excruciatingly hot afternoons that Team Gai had experienced in a long time. The village of Konoha was currently sizzling and drying up, leaving the ground crunchy and smelling of quick decay. The breeze had died long ago, leaving the air still, humid, and boiling.

In their usual training spot, Ten Ten, Neji, Rock Lee, and their beloved Gai-sensei were suffering through the unbearable heat to get their daily regimen of training completed. Each had their particular training to accomplish, considering they had all been appointed Chuunin only a few months before. Ten Ten had increasingly grown in her weaponry skills over the years, proving herself worthy of further helping Neji with his own training of his Byakugan. The two of them were currently sparring in a clearing not far from where their counterparts, Gai and Lee, were busy with their own training.

The Chuunin exam hadn't been particularly hard for any of them the second time around. They hadn't been able to participate in the following exam after the whole Gaara-Lee incident, so they waited out a year training diligently until their golden opportunity. Luckily for them, they didn't encounter any particularly hard contestants, and easily moved through the examinations-even Ibiki's exam was a breeze once you figured out his logic.

As those Chuunin vests that they waited so long to wear lay shed on the ground, Ten Ten and Neji sparred, their intensity sagging under the seemingly rising intensity of the sun. Sharp roundhouse kicks became muted oblonghouse kicks, easy punches began to easily miss their mark, and neither of them were even moving to defend themselves after long. After sluggishly blocking one of Ten Ten's knives, Neji held up a hand to halt the spar. He looked across the clearing to Ten Ten, whose buns were not as much buns anymore as they were pigtails. She sagged against the tree behind her, and he followed suit, both of them panting incessantly.

"It's too damn hot," Neji said, wiping off the beads of sweat from his forehead. Ten Ten nodded, closing her eyes as she leaned her head upwards, begging for a breeze.

"I wish there was at least a breeze," she said. "It'd probably bearable if there were."

The two relaxed for a while, until Ten Ten began to collect the nearby knives and pack them. In the distance, Neji could here the sparring sounds of Gai-sensei and Lee. The echoing sounds of connected punches and kicks, battle cries, and the occasionally triumphant laugh could be heard, which left Neji surprised. What on earth were they doing continuing in this excrutiating heat?

"Do you hear them?" asked Neji increduously. Ten Ten chuckled.

"It's not _that_ surprising. Those maniacs."

"Seriously, though," Neji sighed, "It's like those two are in their own world."

"Maybe they are," said Ten Ten. She smiled as she continued collecting her weapons. "I always thought it was fortunate for the two of them to be grouped together in the same team. I mean, imagine if they hadn't been?"

Neji stared at the ground and began playing absentmindedly with some twigs. "I don't know. I'd think that with their similar personalities, they'd eventually have come across each other. Though...Well, Lee probably wouldn't have even gone through with being a ninja."

"Yeah, you're probably right. They have quite the friendship," Ten Ten looked at Neji as she bent for one of her maces. "I know this is a weird question, but do you...you know, ever find yourself a bit jealous of Lee? That Gai-sensei's playing favorites?"

Neji smiled. "Of course he's playing favorites. But it's not because he doesn't like us enough or anything. He tells us all the time that we're his 'favorite people'. In his opinion, I believe we're held in high regard, but that Lee is held in a completely different regard. So no, I don't feel jealous. Besides, they both kind of need each other in some weird way. Don't you agree?"

"That's a good way of looking at it," replied Ten Ten. "And yeah, I suppose I agree. I don't think that they realize how much they need each other though. You said that Lee is held in his own regard, so what regard would that be, do you think?"

Neji laughed. "I think that's a question that time will tell. Besides, I don't even think I want to dwell on it that much." Ten Ten laughed at him in obvious agreement. "Only time will tell," he said with a grin.

As Ten Ten picked up her last knife, a loud yell was heard from the clearing next to them, and seemed to be coming closer. The two of them didn't seem to be concerned when Lee emerged from the bushes with an irate Gai-sensei at his heels.

"Lee! How could you even think about using the lotus against me during a spar!" screamed the angry Gai-sensei. Lee ran faster, seemingly in a mix of amusement and fear of punishment.

"It was a joke, Gai-sensei! I would never do that to you!" replied Lee. Neji looked over to see that Lee's bandages were unwoven around his right hand, clearly displaying the fact that he had been trying to psyche out his sensei.

"That is NOT something to joke about, Lee!" yelled Gai.

Lee decided it best to stop running and explain himself. However, just as he was about to stop, Gai-sensei ran into him full-force, plummetting the two of them into the ground. Gai had Lee pinned down successfully on his back, which made their position seem a bit compromising. While Gai-sensei was still incensed, Neji and Ten Ten could've sworn they saw a hint of a blush on his cheeks, while they both didn't even have to look at Lee to know what adorned his cheeks. Neji looked to Ten Ten with knowing eyes, and they both began to snicker.

Not wanting to admit to the folly, Gai-sensei played off the position quite well as the punisher. "_Never_ do that again, Lee. Joke or not, to even consider using that move on a comrade is forbidden. Are we clear?"

"H-Hai, Gai-sensei," apologised Lee, looking unwaveringly into his eyes. They looked at each other for a few moments, then Gai-sensei removed himself as if nothing happened, expressionless. Ten Ten decided to speak.

"Hey, you guys up for something refreshing? I could use some chilled soup or a drink right now. I'm parched!"

Lee looked at her with a huge grin from where he lay. "Yeah!" he yelled enthusiastically. Neji just nodded to give his assent.

"Yosh!" cried Gai-sensei. " Let's go to Ichiraku. They're bound to have something to your taste, Ten Ten."

So the group packed up their belongings and headed to Ichiraku under the hot Hidden Village of Fire sun.

Gai-sensei pushed open the green, heavy curtain to the entrance of Ichiraku and held it open for his students. They were all greeted cheerfully by the staff and took their seats at the counter in the order of Gai, Lee, Ten Ten, and Neji.

Having noted their arrival, the old man walked up to the front to take their order.

"Hello, Gai. What can I get for you and your students today?"

"Hello! My student Ten Ten would like to know about your chilled soups. We'll have cold tea all around!" responded Gai-sensei.

"Ah, our chilled soups. We have a few on the menu, considering it's been so unusually hot lately. We're currently serving chilled cucumber soup, lemongrass and chile soup, and our new chilled fish soup, which I highly recommend."

Ten Ten looked pleased. "I'll take the cucumber soup!"

The old man smiled. "A fine choice! What about you, Hyuuga Neji?" he asked, having known Neji as a regular for a long time.

"I'll have the lemongrass," Neji responded.

"I'll have the fish soup! Might as well try them all," interrupted Lee. The old man smiled.

"Alright. Anything else for you, Gai?"

"I'll have some sake, thanks," Gai replied.

At those words, Lee stared ahead, his mind filled with mischief. He'd only had sake twice...Well, he hadn't remembered much, but the intrigue for the alcohol was still there despite what Neji said about him turning into a "monster". Besides, he was getting older now, right? That accidental sip he took of Gai-sensei's wasn't even a conscious decision, and he didn't really remember anything...

The old man went to the back, relayed the orders to his cooks, and strolled back to the counter where the team sat. "So, have any of you guys received word about Naruto? He's been gone for almost a year now, eh?" he said as he leaned forward lazily onto the counter.

The team looked at each other. Word was he was training with Jiraiya, but they never expected him to be gone as long as he was, or when he would return.

Lee spoke first. "We received word that he has been training with one of the legendary sannin, Jiraiya, but we don't know for what purpose or when he'll return," he said, his words mirroring all of their thoughts.

"Ah," said the old man. "He's usually here everyday, that's all. My best customer. I'm used to seeing his face around, I suppose."

"Aren't we all?" said Ten Ten with a grin. She had began to take a liking to the whiskered fellow during the Chuunin exam and found him very amusing.

After that was said, their soups and Gai's sake arrived. Halfway finished with his soup, Lee's attention was diverted to Gai's sake. He examined Gai's face, gauging whether or not he'd be successful in his attempt.

"Gai-sensei...Can I have some of your sake?" he begged.

Gai stared at him. "No, Lee. I'm sorry, but you know what happens when you have alcohol."

Unphased, Lee scooted closer to him and pressed further. "Please, Gai-sensei?"

Gai took a drink and looked to him again. "No! Since when are you interested in sake, anyways?"

Lee pouted. "I've just been a bit curious. It's not like I even remember what it tastes like or anything. And besides, how could _one_ sip turn me into the "monster" that Neji talks about?"

"It does, trust me," interrupted Neji with a smirk on his face, in the middle of raising his spoon. "You might not remember anything, but Gai-sensei and I do. I never thought that I'd have to use my Byakugan against anyone outside of combat, but that time in the restaraunt you prove me wrong."

"Yes, exactly, Neji," said Gai in agreement. " It was very unexpected. We were forced to use our techniques against you that day, and it's something I'd rather not relive," he said, avoiding Lee's gaze.

Lee sagged in his seat, eyes downcast. Gai-sensei always had that effect of dampening Lee's agenda, especially if it was the least bit mischievious. Lee would always think of disappointing him, or wronging him, which usually led to a short guilt trip and the abortion of his ideas.

"Fine," said Lee, defeated. Gai turned his head to look at him, the guilt beginning to eat away at him. As much as he'd like to fulfill whatever Lee would want accomplished, he obviously couldn't give into the senseless demand. He mussed up Lee's hair a bit, causing the boy to grin softly to himself, his eyes still downcast. He soon began to dig into his own food.

"This soup is amazing!" interjected Ten Ten. She was relaxed on her stool, legs crossed, leisurely enjoying her soup. Next to her Neji sat up straight, prim and proper with his manners as always. The old man heard her from the back and grinned and waved in thanks to her approval.

Warmed inside and out from his sake and the temperature, Gai sat back in his seat, nonchalantly pondering his students. He had had charge of them for over three years at the moment, and had constant contact with them throughout that time. Ten Ten had become a bit more mellow throughout her time under his wings. She had slowly transformed from a bouncy young girl to a mature, warm young woman. She'd always mother her teammates, though not always as tenderly as expected of a mother. She had a stern way about her and was always reprimanding Lee, Gai-sensei, and occasionally Neji. Yet he knew that she loved all of them thoroughly as they were her second family.

Neji had also mellowed with age. Upon second thought, Gai had thought that the word "unwound" would better describe his transformation. Ever since his encounter with Naruto, he had become a more accepting individual, not constantly fighting circumstances and acting superior. Of course, there was no denying he was a bit of a snob, but he had become more open with time. On occasion, his guard would be nonexistant, and he'd allow himself to laugh alongside Lee during one of his pranks or current antics.

Which brought Gai to the subject of his beloved student, Lee. Lee had not mellowed with age, contrary to his peers. He had become a bit more mischievious, playing small pranks on his fellow teammates now and again or giving someone a bit of a hard time. But he had never lost his regard for others' feelings, or his knowledge of boundaries. He never pushed people's buttons or their limits, and in that sense he was quite reserved. Gai-sensei had also seen a great emotional maturity in him, and his naivete had begun to shed since his accident during his first Chuunin exam. His crush on Sakura had faded away, though Gai never knew why. Nevertheless, he was relieved, because his secret selfish wants had wanted Lee to be attracted to no one. And soon Gai's thoughts began to wander where they usually only hesitantly tread.

Something had always attracted him to his student. There had always been a sense of comfort and familiarity between them, and they hardly ever kept things from one another. But as Lee began to grow older, Gai's didactic intentions had soon become wary of another intent. Their frequent embraces had left him wondering, their constant contact had made him cautious. So Gai had started to let off on the phsyical contact, slowly, as though a mother would ween a child off a bottle. But somehow Gai felt that Lee knew what was going on, and Lee was not happy about it. However, because of his cautious social nature, Lee had never approached the subject. Every touch from then on was met with awkwardness on both ends, and usually left Lee blushing, which Gai didn't know what to think about. He didn't want his thoughts to become misguided, or his hopes raised, so he usually ignored his feelings. After all, Lee was only 15, soon to be 16. Though it was an old enough age to have one's bearings, Gai didn't believe that Lee was ready to make any drastic decisions about his personal life.

As he watched his student, Lee met his eyes after finishing a spoonful of soup. They looked at each other, eyes cautious, and Lee brushed it off with a smile, returning to his soup. Gai then derailed his train of thought as fast as possible in order to return to normalcy.

After surveying the rest of his team, he saw that they were all finished, and Ten Ten and Neji were currently occupying themselves with conversation.

"So, everyone's done? Should we call it a day?" Gai asked authoratatively.

Ten Ten and Neji stopped their conversation, nodding, and took out their money for the food. Lee followed suit. They left the restaraunt together, bidding the old man a warm goodbye, and then went their seperate ways.

Gai and Lee however walked together for a while, considering their houses were only two blocks away from each other.

"So, are we training tomorrow?" questioned Lee.

"Yes, I suppose so," responded Gai. "I figure we'll train tomorrow and take the next day off. All of you seem to be progressing normally. Well, only when a certain someone isn't threatening his sensei's life, that is," he said with a smirk.

Lee grinned back at him. "You do know that was a joke, right Gai-sensei?"

"Of course, Lee. I just don't want you taking the lotus lightly. I don't even know how you could after what happened to you a year ago."

Lee kicked a pebble. "Well...I don't take it lightly. I wouldn't ever use it outside of battle or dire circumstances...Just as you said for me to. You should have a little more faith in me than that, Gai-sensei," he finished with a farced smile.

Gai was about to respond when Lee suddenly bid him an abrupt goodbye, and ran to his house only a few meters away. Feeling a bit more guilty than he had earlier, he head home himself.

Lee arrived at his house a minute later and began to fumble for his key in his green suit as he watched his sensei leave him with the usual worry that ate at his heart. After getting in, he was greeted by the usual emptiness of his house. Unknown by most of his peers, aside from his own team, Lee had lost his parents at a very young age, leaving him alone in the foreign village of Konoha, where he continued to raise himself with the help of an elderly neighbor until she died when he was nine. His parents hadn't been originally from Konoha, which is why many people made fun of his foreign features.

As he walked through the rooms of his house, he brushed by the relics of his past: pictures of him and his parents smiling happily in a place far, far away, him playing in a sand box surrounded by little toy ninjas, a picture of him and his old neighbor Mara, newer pictures of his team, and the one he cherished most, the one of him and Gai-sensei only taken a few months ago with the two of them with their arms around each others' shoulders.

He dumped his pack on the chair next to his bed and made a beeline for the bathroom to shower. As he closed the door behind him and began to strip, a pin-up saying could be seen on the door. Throughout the house, he had pinned up pick-me-ups and inspirational sayings to boost his morale, for at times it could reach all-time lows. He always thought himself blessed to have a goal to work after- to be a great ninja with his taijitsu. However, it was always a double-edged sword when he thought about such things.

His parents had died in a skirmish with rogue ninjas, plain and simple. His parents had not been ninjas at all, and were therefore put at the mercy of their punishers. He had been with them, about to be killed, when the Konoha ninja had finally arrived, assassinating the murderous ninjas and rescuing Lee. After that event, he remembered their kind actions towards him and their reassuring words. He knew one of them had been Kakashi-sensei, Naruto and Sakura's teacher. The others weren't as memorable, however. From that day forward, he wished to be as strong and as brave as those that had saved his life and killed those who killed his parents. He enrolled himself in ninja school with no extraordinary talent whatsoever, and worked his way up from there. The rest was history.

He finished up his brief shower, the last remainder of it being very cold considering the blistering heat that lingered outside. Despite the time being relatively early, Lee readied himself for bed. Sadly enough, whenever Lee went home, that's all he usually did- sleep. Otherwise the emptiness would seep into him, the loneliness would creep inside his skin, and he'd work himself into a depression.

Jumping into his bed clothes, he climbed into bed, and resigned himself to lie there thinking. His thoughts fell to his sensei, whom his relationship with had been a bit strained recently. Gai meant much more to Lee than Lee ever though Gai would know. He could confide in him, joke with him, and allow himself to be comforted by him. But recently, Lee felt as though he was losing him, day by day. Lee had also acknowledged that his feelings for Gai-sensei were different, and always had been. His interest in Sakura was too forced on his part, for he believed it was expected of him to like a girl, just as everyone else had been doing. He ended up looking like an idiot, evidently. But after that he found that his interests were elsewhere inclined, which scared him. Gai-sensei was not only his "sensei" in his mind. He was his everything.

He turned on his side, his insides a turmoil of anxiety. Only one question resounded within him these days.

Would things every be the same- possibly better...more different- between him and Gai?

-----------------------------------------

Please review! Flame if you must! I'd like to get as much feedback as possible. Thanks for reading!


	2. Catharsis

- - Incoming Author's Note - -

Hello once again!

In today's installment, I bring you something quite tasty- A PARTY! I love party fanfics, lol. There's just something about mixing up all of the characters together. It's like a chemical reaction, mixing up different personalities, adding in other elements such as alcohol and whatnot. It's always grand :D.

So yes, sadly I've been getting little to no feedback on this, save for one lovely, lovely review. But you know what? I'm not going to let it stop me, because this fic is just begging to be written. So I'll continue to write, you'll continue to read. World keeps spinnin'.

...But...Some love would be nice. ;;

- - / e n d - -

The next day arrived without hesitance. Drowsily, each team member awoke and dragged themselves to the training grounds to meet for the morning briefing. It had only been 6 a.m., but Gai-sensei had become a bit soft in getting them up earlier than usual. The sun had just begun to rise when everyone had gathered at the training grounds. Ten Ten's brain was already ready and working, having been jolted by her routine dash to her designated tree. With Neji, however, you couldn't tell whether he was attentive, tired, or bored. And as usual with Lee, he was still working hard at rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, yawning every other minute and power napping whenever Gai-sensei wasn't looking.

Eager as always, Gai had met them with a grin on his face and a bounce in his step. He surveyed his team as soon as he arrived and determined that this energy level just wouldn't do for his team morning training.

"Good morning, everyone!" he interjected with gusto. He was met with a cheerful 'Good Morning' from Ten Ten, a responsive wave from Neji, and light snore from Lee. Obviously not content with this, Gai went over to Lee to slap him up a little.

"Lee! Wake up! Training time!" he yelled in his face while shaking his shoulders. Lee opened one round eye lazily, saw his beloved sensei, smiled goofily and fell back asleep. Immediately endeared by the adorable action, Gai contained a laugh, and outwardly frowned. He then went on to successfully wake up Lee with the usual morning punch-in-the-face. Lee jolted awake and was oddly ready for action.

"Alright," Gai said, "This morning I feel that our focus should be a team exercise, meaning no pairings today. You've all shown me significant growth in your individual techniques, and I beleive that, as healthy as our team is, we could still afford to reaffirm some key battle strategies and identification plans in case of certain genjutsus. All in favor?"

Everyone unanimously nodded. Gai grinned. "Good! Now everyone pretend we're back in ninja elementary and sit in a circle for me," he commanded goofily. His team complied immediately, knowing that however strange the task was, there was usually a point to it, however pointless that point may have been.

The four sat in a circle; Gai across from Neji, and Lee across from Ten Ten. Awaiting further instructions, they all sat with their legs crossed.

Gai sensei cleared his throat and began. "So, the point of this first exercise is how to identify one of your team using chakra. Now, everyone hold the other's hand," and hands were connected, "Just like that, thanks. Now, obviously during battle, getting to feel out your enemies identification through their chakra is going to be more demanding, considering you'll be in the midst of battle with every possible distraction occurring at once. It is important to know and become consciously familiar with your teammate's chakra signature. The four of us are probably already conscious of it on a subconscious level," Neji scoffed at Gai's clumsy way of phrasing it," but high-level genjustus can warp your primary responses, leaving you to rely on something that needs a solid focus. So right now, I just want you to exert chakra out of your hands and mingle it with everyone else's, letting them become familiar with it."

All of them began to focus all their chakra into and out of their hands, eyes closed, allowing it to mix with the other's. Lee let his chakra swirl within Neji's, which he found to be a prickly, cool sensation. Neji's aura kind of reminded him of the feeling of the medicine he used on his wounds. Then, as he tightly held onto Gai's hand, unlike how he did with Neji's, their chakra went right into each other. Gai's chakra was warm- the reassuring hug kind of warm. He unconsciously gripped his hand tighter, causing Gai to open an eye to glance at him.

Closing his eye again, Gai focused on his students' chakras. Lee's chakra was vibrant feeling, full of energy and spirit, its energy level going up and down depending on his thoughts or mood. Ten Ten's, on the other hand, was a constant level of humming strength. After feeling the exercise had been enough, Gai withdrew his hands. The rest of the team did the same, and looked to Gai.

"Alright," said Gai. "Neji, describe Ten Ten's and Lee's chakra for me."

Neji closed his eyes and crossed his arms- his usual thinking pose. "Lee's chakra is very powerful, but also very responsive and jumpy. Ten Ten's is quite strong as well, but more even and constant."

Gai nodded. "Precisely. Lee, what about you? What about our chakras, how did they feel?"

"Hmm..." said Lee, looking upwards while pondering. " Well, Neji's felt like icy-hot, kind of like what the injury ointment feels like," Ten Ten giggled, and Gai smiled. Neji's eyebrow twitched at the comment, however. "And..Yours felt like...well, very reassuring and warm. I didn't really focus on how it was flowing like Neji, though..." trailed off Lee.

"And that," said Gai, "is another part of the lesson. It is possible to identify chakra based on the person's feel and measurement of its flow. Neji felt the pressure of the chakra, while Lee felt the temperature and emotion of the chakra. See?" The group nodded.

"Well, we could go through some more exercises, but I think you all have the drift. I'm going to drill you randomly if I see you, though. Maybe I'll even camoflauge myself!" Gai said with a sly smile.

Ten Ten spoke up. "Hey, have you guys heard what's going on tonight?" Everyone turned to her, their expressions stating that no, they didn't. "It's Kiba's birthday, he's having a party," she said vibrantly.

"Ah, Kiba!" exclaimed Lee. "He's fourteen then, right?" Ten Ten nodded.

Neji looked aside in distaste. He wasn't really keen on parties or social gatherings, but he felt a nagging coming in his future if he didn't cooperate. "What time is the party?" he asked.

"Six," stated Ten Ten. "You should go too, Gai-sensei! All of the other sensei's are going..."

Gai chuckled, "Ah...Well, I guess if the others are going. Why not?"

"Yatta!" cheered Ten Ten. "Should we all go together?"

Lee sighed. "Nah, I can't come right away. I have to go home and finish cleaning...My kitchen is a mess, I can't believe it gets so dirty!"

They all laughed. "That's only because you LET it get dirty, baka!" said Ten Ten.

"Alright then," said Gai, "we'll all meet up there. I've got to get going to see the hokage, so I'll be seeing you all at Kiba's. Ja ne!"

As soon as Gai left, Lee flopped backwards onto the grass and moaned "I don't waaaannt to cleeeaaann!" and rolled over. Neji rolled his eyes and left, leaving a whiny Lee behind. Ten Ten giggled and encouraged Lee to get going, which he eventually did.

The kitchen proved itself to be quite the adversary, and Lee had fought valiantly with his sponge and dish soap. Thankfully, Lee had managed to finish around six, after which he immediately ran out the door, leaving the sponge and dish soap in the last spot he had cleaned.

When he approached the street Kiba was on, he could immediately hear the laughter and music coming from his house. Suddenly, there was a bounce in his step and a smile on his face, and that sly feeling of butterflies in his stomach. This was one awesome part about parties, Lee thought, since you get the pre-party jitters. He opened the front gates of Kiba's house, made his way past his dogs by greeting them with pats on the head, and went to open the door.

As soon as he opened it, all the people in the immediate room glanced over, screaming "LEE! Welcome to the bash!" and other such welcomes. Hinata had been sitting on the couch, sipping innocently on some tea, laughing at all the antics around her, and some antics they were! Kiba had stripped down to his boxers, apparently completely drunk, and was threatening to beat Shino. What was even funnier than Kiba's drunken antics were Shino's, who was just laughing and laughing at the situation. Lee eyed them incredulously. Shino was relaxing on the couch, his overcoat a bit unbuttoned, probably from the resulting heat of the alcohol, and was taunting Kiba who was standing before him in all his glory with a miffed expression.

"Hey guys!" Lee greeted.

"Hi," said Shino between laughs.

"God, what have you guys been drinking already?" said Lee incredulously.

"They're drinking sake," replied Hinata, apparently amused but impatient at the same time. "I wish they weren't so rowdy..."' she muttered under her breath.

Kiba walked over to him, and poked him in the chest. "You're LATE!"

"A-Ah, I'm sorry! I thought Gai-sensei or my teammates would've told you I was busy," said Lee, putting his hands in front of him defensively.

Kiba dropped his hand from Lee and blinked. "Oh. Oh yeah, they did. Hahaha...Whoops!"

Lee laughed. "Alright, alright. I'm going into the back, I'll see you guys later. Happy Birthday, Kiba!" he said, patting Kiba's back.

"You too!" he replied with a goofy grin. Hinata facepalmed.

That's when Lee started looking for the adults. He looked in the corner of the room only to find Kakashi there chatting up Iruka. They obviously weren't paying attention to anyone else, and were drinking alcohol themselves. What were they thinking? The fact that they were being so nonchalant about the alcohol was making Lee more than a little angry. He ignored them and walked past straight into the next room.

He walked into the next room to find Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, and Ten Ten sitting in a circle, slightly inebriated, telling really embarrassing stories that they would definitely regret telling when sobered. When he made his entrance known, everyone blew up into greetings.

"Lee-san!" screamed Sakura, rushing up to hug him. "Where have you been!"

Lee felt a bit awkward now, his previous crush was pretty much squirming up against him. "Um, I was cleaning. Sorry."

"It's okay!" yelled Ino, who was in a disshevelled heap on the floor. "Come play with us!"

Shikamaru shot Lee a look, one that said "Get out while you can, you idiot!". He appeared the most sober out of all of them, but then again, next to Chouji, who was draped across the sofa giggling in his sleep, anyone could look sober.

"No thanks, guys. I'm going to see who's here first. I'll be back!" he said, leaving as quickly as possible before Ino began talking about her interesting and revealing fantasies, but not before he nodded at Shikamaru in a gesture of thanks. Shikamaru smirked back, urging him to leave while the going was good.

He went back outside the door, catching a glimpse of Kiba and Shino as they were arm in arm, talking about the similarites of dogs and bugs loudly and in monotonous voices. 'Well, it looks like Kiba got over his tirade quickly,' he thought, and headed out the next door that led outside. Jumping over the doorframe, he stepped out onto the grass and headed towards the tables, where he saw Kurenai, Asuma, Neji, and Gai, who all appeared to also be enjoying alcohol- though not as liberally as everyone else. Gai caught sight of Lee first and smiled.

"Hey, Lee," he said, heading over to him. "Done cleaning?"

Lee smiled hesitantly in greeting. "Yeah," he said right before bursting out, "Could you possibly tell me why everyone in here is DRINKING!" he exploded. Gai started to look a bit guilty. "They're ALL underage!" he threw up his arms, defeated. "What is wrong with you people..."

"Lee..." Gai started. He didn't know what to say though. He knew that Lee was just angry because he couldn't have some himself, but didn't know how to soothe the situation. "The teachers decided that since we were all here, we might as well allow some of the kids to have alcohol. Let them try it on for size, you know?"

Lee huffed. "No, I wouldn't know, actually." Neji sighed from the table.

"Lee, it's okay. They can control them." Lee went to open his mouth, but Neji predicted his words. "But don't expect us to control you..." Lee slumped.

Gai frowned at him, knowing the feeling of exclusion. Lee had always had it hard compared to his peers, facing one handicap after another. "I'm sorry, Lee," he said as he took him under his arm and guided him to the table to sit down. They sat down together, Lee slumping into Gai grumpily. Kurenai and Asuma sat facing them on the parallel table in front of them, while Neji sat on the table facing the other direction.

Kurenai sighed happily. "I can't believe Kiba's fourteen already. I feel like such an old woman," she said, chuckling slightly to herself. Asuma looked to her, smiling.

"You're going to say that every year, aren't you?" he poked at her. "But yeah, I know the feeling. It's hilarious watching them be awkward with each other, especially Ino and Chouji."

Lee's ears perked up. "Ino and Chouji? What about them?"

Asuma grinned. "This is strictly confidential, right Lee?" Lee nodded. Asuma looked behind him and yelled at Neji goofily, "Now Neji, don't you be telling anyone any gossip we talk about, okay, you motormouth!" Neji grumbled, knowing he was just being taunted.

"Well, they both have a thing for each other," he said, watching Lee's eyes brighten up. Lee secretly loved hearing about these kinds of things, especially when it concerned his own friends. Asuma continued. "But the thing is Ino doesn't think it's cool to be into Chouji, because he's a bit bigger than most guys. But she cares about him a lot, and mothers him incessantly. It's really fun to watch. And of course Chouji has no real clue about her feelings, but he's been into her for forever. So hopefully that will progress nicely."

Suddenly Gai began to laugh. "The Akimichi and Yamanaka dads are going to be thrilled if that happens. They'll be in-laws, as if they're not close enough already."

As he leaned against Gai-sensei with his ear against his side, Lee could hear Gai-sensei's deep voice reverberating within his body, washing a wave of warmth and comfort over him. He snuggled slightly closer to him, which in turn made Gai feel a little warm himself. This was exactly he had been trying to avoid with Lee, but whatever he did to deter Lee only fueled Lee to ignore him and continue. And of course, whenever he opened himself up to Lee, as he was at this moment, Lee always took advantage of it. But Gai wasn't so sure if Lee was totally conscious of it or not. Gai removed his arm from around his student and draped it over the table instead.

The conversation had moved on without Lee, and the teachers were now discussing Kiba's mom, who was away for business and had left instruction to "have a good time by any means necessary", which the teachers had loosely interpreted. Knowing that he should probably leave Gai-sensei alone right now, Lee stood up and announced that he was going back inside to see what everyone else was doing.

Lee stepped onto the platform of the house, opened the door and was immediately aware that something was going on next to him. He turned his head only to find Kakashi-sensei slowly kissing his former teacher, Iruka-sensei, against the wall. He froze, witnessing the intimacy of the act. His eyes bulged, his jaw-dropped, and his heart began beating faster. Kakashi brushed the hair out of Iruka's eyes, who was smiling against the kiss, and soon their hands were entertwined again. But as he continued to watch their hands release themselves to intimately caress each other, his heart began to ache inexplicably.

Iruka then opened his eye, took in the sight of Lee before him, and immediately pushed Kakashi away from him. Blushing immensely, he looked away from Kakashi to the floor, embarassed that a former student had witnessed him in such a situation.

"Lee...I'm sorry...", he said quietly. He looked up only to see Lee smiling sadly at him, looking not at all shocked or appalled, which relieved Iruka- somewhat. Why did he have on that expression? Kakashi on the other hand looked almost disgruntled over the fact that his time with Iruka had been interrupted, and wasn't at all ashamed.

"There's nothing to be sorry about, Iruka-sensei," Lee finally responded smiling. "You two might be better off in a more private area though." He blushed as he grinned widely.

The two of them grinned back at him graciously, knowing that they weren't going to be judged or ridiculed by Lee. Kakashi looked at him directly with a current of understanding. Lee's reaction was only backing up his private conclusions about certain situations all the much more..

"Alright, I think we're going to follow your suggestion, Lee," said Kakashi cheerfully. "Behave yourself!" he said as he grabbed Iruka's hand and dragged him away.

"I should be saying that to you!" Lee screamed after them.

Looking around, Lee saw that Kiba, Shino, and Hinata had abandoned the couch, which was probably why the two teachers had felt that it was their window of opportunity. He then went into the room where he now knew everyone was.

As soon as he entered, his eyes immediately connected with Shikamaru's, who communicated with a shrug that it wasn't as bad as earlier. Everyone seemed to be sitting around, talking and laughing, and exploiting themselves in ways they never would without the help of liquid courage. He took a seat next to Hinata on the floor and began listening to everyone's conversation.

"So what did you do next?" questioned Ten Ten. "Was Asuma-sensei mad at the two of you?"

"Nah," replied Ino, "he's really quite the softy. He walks around all tough and mean with that cigarette hanging out of his mouth, meanwhile he hardly ever yells at us. That is, unless we're fighting. But yeah, wehn we told him we had accidentally received Tsunade-sama's bra along with our report books, he couldn't believe us and just started laughing. That is, until we showed him the bra." She began laughing at the memory.

"Yeah," interrupted Shikamaru between breaths of laughter, "I mean, I don't think any other woman in Konoha has breasts like hers!" And soon everyone was howling with laughter. Even Hinata was laughing, though a ferocious blush graced her features.

"I wonder how it got there?" asked Kiba drunkenly. "I mean, maybe she was just flingin' her panties all over the place in her office!" Ripples of laughter were heard again.

"Or maybe she was having a 'special meeting' with some guy!" suggested Sakura. Everyone agreed that that suggestion could probably be the case.

"Speaking of sex, has anyone here lost it yet?" asked Ten Ten. Everyone looked around at each other.

"I don't think anyone has," replied Shino, more talkative than usual.

"Well, " began Sakura, and all eyes were on her. "We still don't know about Sasuke or Naruto..." she trailed off.

Kiba laughed. "Naruto! No way, that guy's definitely a virgin! He couldn't ever get a girl!" However, most of the others had sobered up a bit at the mention of their far-away friends.

"Actually," explained Sakura, "I'm not sure he ever...wanted to get girls." Everyone stopped.

Shikamaru blinked. "What?"

"There was this one time...I got to our meeting place about an hour earlier than planned...And...Sasuke and Naruto were there. Together, " she replied with a bit of defeat in her voice.

Everyone was blown away. This had definitely never crossed any of their minds before. Lee was also blown away. Who'd ever thought that he'd uncover the sexuality of four of his friend's within the same day?

Ino responded. "So... You're telling me that Naruto and Sasuke were together? As in boyfriends!"

Sakura looked aside. "Well, they weren't talking into each other's lips, I'm sure." Kiba had to sit back in order to regain his bearings.

"So," began Kiba, "They were together during that whole time we had to get back Sasuke?"

Sakura nodded. Shikamaru looked depressed all of a sudden. "That's so horrible," he said.

Lee responded a little too quickly, saying "What's so horrible about it?" Everyone looked to him, then back to Shikamaru.

"Well, imagine how much sufferring Naruto was going through during that whole ordeal. No wonder he's so adamant about getting him back."

Everyone took this in, the whole account of the emotional trauma their loud-mouthed ninja shared with his rival and supposed partner, Sasuke.

"The saddest thing is..." trailed off Sakura, looking away, "..is that Sasuke was still in love with him when he left. They still loved each other, even as they fought to the death, because in Sasuke's mind, the only path he could possibly take in his life was one of vengeance, and Naruto couldn't fit into that path."

"Wow..." trailed of Ten Ten. "That's so sad."

Hinata was more shaken up than anyone else, however. She had always liked Naruto...a lot. And now he was already in love with Sasuke? She looked paler than usual to say the least.

Kiba stood up. "I say we have a toast!" Everyone looked to him smiling slightly and held onto their drinks up high, following suit.

"To Naruto and Sasuke...May they actually find each other and possibly happiness along with it."

Everyone exclaimed, "To Naruto and Sasuke, Kompai!" and drank their drinks.

But Lee didn't have a drink. Looking around himself, Shino saw that Lee hadn't taken a drink, and offered some of his sake to him. Lee looked around to see if Ten Ten was watching in particular, before stupidly downing the gulp of sake.

"Oh," said Kiba before sitting down, "and Happy Birthday to me!" Shino kicked him.

All of a sudden, the voices of everyone had grown to a more quiet pitch to Lee, and soon they were nothing more than a misty din of noise. His eyesight became blurry, and strangely, the only emotion that existed inside him was anger. He ground his teeth, looking around himself in a desperate frustration. He clumsily stood up, quivering with anger, and punched the wall behind him.

Everyone had stopped what they were doing, wondering what the hell was wrong with Lee. Ten Ten froze, recognizing his glazed stare and behavior from that one day at the restaraunt.

"Oh my god," exclaimed Ten Ten, "Did someone give him any sake?"

Shino raised his eyebrows along with his hand. "I'm guessing it was a bad move?"

"Very!" said Ten Ten in a panic. "Hinata! Go get Neji and Gai-sensei as quick as possible! GO!" Hinata was out the door within seconds.

Meanwhile, Lee had turned around to face Ten Ten, who had placed herself in front of him since she was the only one most used to his fighting skills. "Ten Ten," he ground out, "get out of my way!" He gripped onto her shoulders menacingly, and Ten Ten locked her arms on top of his.

"No, Lee, you can't go anywhere!"

He increased the force of his pressure against her shoulders, and Ten Ten knew that if she were anyone else, it'd be a full out brawl right now. She silently struggled with him for a minute, until Gai-sensei came clambering in the door.

"Oh, God," he complained. "Neji, help me get him outside before he destroys the place!"

Gai-sensei approached Lee and Ten Ten, hoping to catch his attention. "Lee, let go of Ten Ten..." he tryed to reason.

"Don't you fucking talk to me, Gai-sensei!" screamed Lee, hurting Gai in the process. Lee let go of Ten Ten and faced his teacher instead. He was breathing erratically and was flushed with rage. "You're a filthy liar," he said without pretext. But it seemed to hit a chord within Gai, and Gai went around Lee and grabbed him from behind.

"Neji! His legs!" He yelled as he struggled with the inhumanly strong boy. Neji quickly grabbed hold of his legs, and they ran with him until they reached outside.

When there, Gai and Neji both stretched across the boy sideways across his stomach, holding him down with everything they had in them. Gai was closest to Lee's head, and was on the receiving end of many punches. It seemed to go on forever until Lee suddenly started crying and sobbing, which caused Gai to just want to hold him instead, but alas, he restrained himself.

Lee soon began to stop fighting against the two, and Gai told Neji to leave. Soon it was just Gai lying across a sobbing Lee, hoping that he would fall asleep or sober up soon.

Suddenly, Lee began to say, "Don't touch me," over and over again to Gai, while looking him in the eyes. Gai was so confused at what his student was feeling. Of course he was drunk, but what kind of drunk was it? Gai finally realised that the reason Lee was so angry and frustrated while drunk was because he never was when he was sober. He was even-tempered, and stored everything away. And Lee definitely had a lot fo be frustrated about. Everything was an obstacle for him, nothing was normal, and nothing made him truly happy. Lee's cries began to eat away at Gai, which left him feeling empty and guilty that he could only try so hard to make his life easier. A drunken Lee was a cathartic Lee.

Lee looked away from Gai, his eyes still watering and his sobs just as painfully cathartic as they had been for the past twenty minutes. Lee had never cried while he was drunk before, and Gai knew this for a fact. Suddenly, a coherent phrase escaped Lee that stuck itself straight into Gai's heart.

"Stop shutting me out," he whispered. Two minutes later, he finished and had cried himself to sleep.

Gai got off of him once he felt his breathing even out and examined his student. His hair was blown backwards, exposing his face to the moonshine and breeze. The teartracks went in all directions on his face, but now he finally looked peaceful. He leaned down and picked him up and carried him in his arms over towards the other teachers.

"Is everything okay?" questioned Iruka, who had come out of 'hiding' once he heard the commotion going on.

"Yeah," replied Gai. "I'm going to take him back to my place tonight. It's better off I leave now. Tell Kiba I said Happy Birthday again, Kurenai."

"Sure thing," she said, nodding.

"Alright then, I'll see you all later. Goodnight," said Gai as he turned around to head for home.

Kakashi watched the tense back of his eternal rival as he left. Obviously, something had deeply irked Gai this evening- no doubt something to do with his student.

But Kakashi wasn't someone to outright question Gai. Afterall, he had once said "I'm not going to be as rude as to question what that boy is to you" only to be answered with a scowl and an injured retort. He knew well enough that their was something between them.

Something was definitely going to happen, even if neither if them knew it yet.


	3. Recovery

-- Author's Note --

You guys rock! Thanks for being such awesome reviewers.

I'm glad you all like it- I'm not making this a PWP, if that's not apparent by now. Gai and Lee are too complex and morally upright for that. It's definitely going to be gradual with a lot of complications along the way, but I hope it will shape itself into what you hope this story will progress into. :D

Thanks for the love!

-- /end --

Before the sun had begun to rise, Lee had started to drift out of sleep. His first thoughts upon waking up were muffled acknowledgements of the warmth and safety he felt around him, as though he were engulfed in a fuzzy cocoon. As he began to regain more coherent thoughts, he realized that he was in a place that eminated a foreign yet comforting scent. He was not at home. As much as the thought made him curious, he still made no move to open his eyes and rolled to his left only to be met with a large wall of cushion. His curiousity now piqued, he then opened his eyes and found himself wrapped up like a taco facing the back of a sofa in the dark.

Now fully awake, he unwrapped himself from the layers of blankets and laid on his back to think. He knew where he was. The couch was Gai-sensei's, as was the scent. Gai's apartment had always smelled lightly of sandalwood and cinnamon, and Lee could never forget it even if he tried. Despite his location, Lee felt strangely relaxed and unnaturally calm, almost as if he had just cried to the point of exhaustion. He knew the feeling well, as it was the way he fell asleep every night for two years when he was younger. It felt as though his soul had been purged. Why did he feel this way? Better yet, why was he at Gai's?

Lee began to think back about last night. What had happened last night? The thoughts came back slow, slugglishly. Oh, Kiba's party. There had been a lot of alcohol at Kiba's party, hadn't there?

Then the realization struck Lee. The cheer of "Kanpai!" came back to his mind, along with images of Shino handing him the sake. Oh no, he hadn't...Had he? After deliberating, he came to the conclusion that, yes, he had gotten drunk and had probably done something horrible to boot, just as he did with the restaraunt. Of course, as always, Gai-sensei had come to the rescue and brought him back to his house. A wave of guilt crashed over Lee, causing him to groan, roll over, and hide his face in the couch.

As he was busy mourning over the loss of his sobriety and probably the trust of his sensei, Gai-sensei emerged from his room wearing his black sleep pants and a white t-shirt. He walked over to his squirming student and greeted him a good morning.

"Good morning, Lee," he said as he pulled the covers off of Lee that he had re-wrapped himself in.

Lee didn't look at him, for he knew that guilt had been painted all over his features. He kept his eyes downcast, afraid to respond.

Gai looked at him in understanding, able to read his student's face even in the dark of early morning. "Yes, I'm a bit mad at you. But I'll get over it. We'll talk about it over breakfast, okay?"

Lee looked up at him hesitantly with a hopeful yet disbelieving look on his face. Gai gave him a small smile and stretched out his hand, which Lee eagerly took and got off the couch.

Now standing upright, Lee took in his own appearance. He was still wearing his dirty green suit from yesterday, and was now a bit grossed out by that fact. Gai-sensei could tell what he was thinking- he knew that Lee was touchy about clean clothes.

"Want to change?" he asked.

"Yeah," replied Lee.

Gai led him into his bedroom just down the hall from the living room. "You can just borrow some stuff of mine. You almost fit into them, anyways."

Lee blushed. After choosing some plaid sleep pants and a white t-shirt, he changed into them while Gai exited to give him privacy. The shirt was a bit big around him, but only slightly. The pants fit perfectly, however. Lee had gotten much taller and fit over the past two years, and was now only five inches shorter than Gai. He left his room, still blushing, because now he knew he was to spend the day in his sensei's clothes.

He walked into the kitchen where Gai had already begun to cook up some breakfast. Not immediately wanting to help, Lee went over to sit on one of the stools of the stove island, which allowed him to face Gai as he cooked. Gai looked up from his pan of eggs to his student and noticed that he looked more at peace somehow. He then thought of the cry he had gone through the night before and then wasn't surprised at all. He continued cooking in a bit of an awkward silence as Lee took in the place, just as he did every other time he was there.

Lee always found comfort at Gai's apartment and could recall the layout of it in his dreams. The door, the hallway, the immediate living room, with the bedrooms (two of them, to be exact) to the right, and the kitchen and adjoined dining room to the left. Outside of the living room was a balcony that had a decent view considering Gai lived on the fourth floor. There were many windows placed all over the house, allowing Lee to presently see the sun begin it's slow rise out of the ground. Even though it was a bit early, Lee considered it to actually a bit late for him, since he usually was out of the house by sunrise.

Having finished cooking the sweet eggs, Gai served it onto a plate and handed over the stove to Lee, who grabbed a pair of chopsticks out of the box that was set next to the stove and dug in. Gai then put on a pot of tea and walked over to the window to let the breeze in while he waited for the water to boil. The golden light illuminated the kitchen, the appliances and Lee shining alike in the ethereal morning shimmer. He went back to the stove, made the tea, served Lee and himself, then sat next to Lee to eat his own breakfast.

Already done with his food, Lee sat there patiently with his hands in his lap, periodically drinking tea to help him have something to do in the awkward silence. Usually whenever he was over Gai's house they'd be talking animatedly about new training regimens, theories, or funny memories of training sessions gone wrong. Gai slowly finished his food before he began to speak to Lee.

"So, mind telling me what happened last night?" he began.

Lee sat a bit rigidly. "I don't really remember. I remember nothing after I took a sip of sake from Shino," he replied nervously.

"Do you want to know what happened?" Gai asked him as he looked at him pointedly.

His bewildered eyes shot up to meet his sensei's. "Did I do anything horrible?"

"No," said Gai, maintaining the eye contact. "Thankfully, Neji and I were able to get there before you injured Ten Ten. You took it easy on her, I have to say. At least you have some sense when drunk," he said with a slight trace of a grin.

Lee's face fell. "Is she okay!"

"Yes, she's fine. Everyone's fine. Neji and I managed to get you out of the house before you caused any damage. We had to hold you down until you went to sleep."

Lee looked over his sensei for bruises. "Did...Did I hurt you?"

Gai smiled. "No, I'm fine. I took quite a few nasty punches, but nothing I don't have to deal with everyday during training."

Lee looked relieved. "So I fell asleep really fast or something?"

It was now Gai's turn to look distant and guilty. "Well, it took some time."

The room turned quiet for a few minutes. Lee fidgeted around, not wanting to ask the next question. The emotions he felt when he had woken up...Hopefully they hadn't been from crying...

"Gai-sensei," he began, "...I wasn't...crying,...was I?"

"Yes, you were crying." he said as he looked away.

"Did I say anything?" Lee asked nervously. He could only imagine what he had said last night that could condemn him later on.

Gai looked at him and smiled. "Lee, don't worry about it. You're fine now, nothing's changed. How about you and I spend the day together? We could train out back for a while and make dinner afterwards. How does that sound?"

Lee smiled broadly, his worry about his drunken antics now a thing of the past. "That sounds great!"

The two of them quickly finished up their breakfast and washed up the kitchens. Excited about the prospect of training, they both decided against using their usual green suits and used their bedclothes instead. Gai went into the living room and opened up the patio door and waited for Lee, who was getting a glass of water. Lee was running towards to door mid-drink, and ran right past Gai to get outside. Gai chuckled, knowing that once training was mentioned, nothing else could easily enter Lee's mind.

Lee was more excited than he let on, and actually a little bit anxious. He knew from his past training sessions with Gai that he tended to vent his stress during a spar. If he was angry, his kicks had a little too much force. If he was anxious, he was jumpy and his speed was much more unpredictable. Basically his fighting style reflected his condition at the moment, which Lee was hoping a peaceable condition at that.

Setting down the glass of water on Gai's patio table, Lee went down a few steps onto the grass to begin his morning stretches. The sun was almost done rising, with a few more centimetres to go. Hopefully they could get in some quality training before it got too hot again, thought Lee. Gai soon accompanied him in his exercises, each helping each other with their flexability stretches, which were usually impossible to do alone. Having finished their stretches, they both got into their fighting stances and sized each other up from fifteen feet away from each other.

Crouching into his usual stance and evening out his breath, Lee got himself into fighting mode. With an intake of breath, Gai had broke his own stance and went to attack Lee, who dodged his left kick successfully. Lee jumped up as Gai was leaning towards his right, and attacked his left with a punch to the shoulder. Gai dodged it easily by moving down underneath him, which reversed their positions once Lee landed. Lee looked over Gai and decided that he was going to take a few hits and see if he could gauge his mood right.

Lee veered to his right, and Gai went to block his attack with a counter attack, but Lee had no attack to begin with. Gai therefore landed a successful punch in Lee's upper arm, one that left a sting for quite a while. From the attack, Lee guessed that Gai was a bit miffed, but not enough to be angry. They went through a few motions before Lee allowed Gai to land a kick on his shin, which appeared to hurt less than the punch. Gai had apparently caught on that Lee wasn't trying his best, so he toned his strength down a little. This was a good thing for Lee, who considered it lucky that Gai had noticed it. He apparently wasn't mad at all, which struck Lee as very odd. If anything, it almost seemed as though Gai was forgiving him, which made Lee smile mid-kick.

"What are you smiling at?" asked Gai amusingly as he blocked his kick with his forearm. Lee blushed in response with a goofy grin on his face.

"Nothing!" he responded, his hair flowing upwards as he ducked away from a punch aimed for his torso.

Gai laughed in response and continued fighting in silence, save for the battle cries and occasional yelps of pain.

The two of them continued to fight for hours and hours, only pausing once or twice to rehydrate themselves. As the sun rose higher, they only struggled harder against their growing fatigue. Sweat poured down each of their necks, and their similar haircuts began to mat themselves down onto their faces.

Around 5 o'clock, after eleven or so hours of training, the two of them acknowledged the fact that they were entirely too fatigued (and therefore slaphappy) to continue the training any longer. They were laughing like idiots at themselves for going at it for so long as they walked back inside, patting off the sweat with their towels.

They soon found themselves in a little dilemma. They were starving- but disgustingly sweaty and dirty at the same time.

"Well, do you want to shower first or eat?" Gai asked the lazy Lee who was draped over his kitchen counter like a dishrag.

"Foooooooood," was the only response he received. Shaking his head, he went into his fridge to get the supplies for dinner.

He decided to make a pot of iced tea and some udon noodle soup. Considering his apartment was always kept below 70 degrees because of the air conditioner, he felt he could get away with having a hot soup. Nothing unwound him quite like it after eleven straight hours of training.

As the soup began to cook, the delicious smells began wafting through the air, which helped Lee rejuvenate himself to at least a talking state.

"That smells soooo good, Gai-sensei," he almost whined. "Is it almost done?"

"Yeah, only a few more minutes to go. Be patient," he responded.

Lee went back to draping himself over the counter, thinking about the recent events. Earlier on that day, he began to have total recollections about what had happened the night before. There had actually been people like him, in similar predicaments to him!

As he fussed with a strand of hair in front of his face, he thought about the mention of Naruto and Sasuke. He had always admired Naruto, and now he felt an even deeper connection with the younger boy. Before last night, he had always secretly felt like a freak for having the preferences that he did. But after hearing about Naruto's relationship with Sasuke, and everyones' hasty acceptance of it, he felt more at ease with himself. However, what really caught his attention was the secret relationship between Iruka and Kakashi. He would have never, ever guessed. With Kakashi reading straight porn all the time, Lee didn't think he could be anything but straight. With Iruka, however...He could definitely see some hints there about his sexuality, especially when it came to his mother-hen-like tendencies.

However, he would always remember the memory of walking in on them with a bit of remorse. It wasn't the fact that they were gay or that they were his teachers that unnerved him- it was their intimacy. He had never seen men intimate with each other before, let alone caressing and kissing each other. Deep inside him, he felt the gnaw of envy and confusion. But, with a hope in his heart, he began to feel some of that confusion begin to disappate.

Just then, Gai handed him a bowl of soup from across the counter. The action startled him a little, causing him to shoot straight up in his chair. He looked at Gai's concerned face and was immediately overcome with a feeling of hopelessness and loss, which was almost completely inexplainable, considering his teacher was right in front of him. He received the soup and began to eat quietly with his eyes downcast. Gai eyed him over, trying to figure out what had just happened to the boy to make his behaviour change so suddenly.

Then, just as abruptly as his mood changed, Lee had finished his soup and got up to leave.

"Thank you, Gai-sensei," he said, looking away. "I'm going to go home and shower now and get to bed early."

Gai was now plain worried. This wasn't like his student. He looked him over as he was facing him, his eyes off to the side. Lee's eyes were full of worry and anxiety; something was eating away at his Lee, and he didn't like it one bit.

"Lee, is everything okay?" he asked, going forward to grab his hand. Lee immediately looked to him with a pained look on his face.

"I'm fine," he whispered. He pulled his hand away and turned around towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow, Gai."

And with that, he was gone.

Gai sat next to the counter, contemplating what had just happened. Something wasn't right with Lee, and he was seriously hoping it had nothing to do with him. But then he noticed something that also seemed out of place.

Lee had called him Gai. Not Gai-sensei, but just "Gai".

So this was about him, most likely.

Gai held his head in his hands. Why was it so hard for them? Why did he have to fight against every advance? Basically, when it came down to the problem, it led to one question:

Why did Lee have to be so young?

It also always killed him whenever he knew Lee was going home from wherever he was. He knew that Lee hated being alone in that house that held so many memories for him. Lee would predictably walk into his house, go into the shower, then fall right asleep. He knew his schedule too well. Lee never really liked having people at the house, either, because he always would aim to stay away from the house in general. So for him to want to get away from the situation to go home was something that definitely didn't sit well with Gai.

That's why he always had Lee over his house. Especially during the time of his injury a year ago, Lee practically lived with him. He recalled all the hilarious memories of concocting the bitter herb dumplings that Lee ate all in one go. Cleaning up that mess wasn't any fun, but seeing the green look on Lee's face was a bit comical. Then he remembered.

That's when things had started to change.

Ever since that night on the balcony of the academy when Gai had spilled his heart. "If you die...I'll die with you." He remembered the words so well. He had meant every consonant, vowel, and syllable of it. Their relationship had taken a turn for the serious. It had always had a level of seriousness, but that night had changed it. And unfortunately for Gai, he had to leave on a mission that week, so he couldn't stay and be there for Lee, which he knew tore him apart.

A day hadn't gone by yet where he hadn't thanked Tsunade in some prayer-like fashion for having cured his Lee. If Lee hadn't lived, he wouldn't have lived. And if Lee had lived but had failed with the surgery, he would've been in the toughest spot imaginable- to continue teaching Neji and Ten Ten, or staying with someone who needed him all the time? Thanks to Tsunade, he didn't have to live with those consequences.

Gai finished up his soup and washed up the kitchen. Still contemplating his situation, he headed into the shower and then to bed afterwards.

As he lied down, he went over his plans for the next day. There was training with his team at 3, and then he basically had the rest of the day to himself. He decided, however, that he was going to do something for Lee. Spend time with him outside of training, which was for certain.

Suddenly, he was reminded of someone. He had made plans with a friend of his- Raido- for the day after next. He hoped it wouldn't be one of those complicated get togethers, as he knew that Raido was attracted to him. His life seemed to be getting more complicated by the minute.

Deciding that his brain and body had both had enough stress for one day, Gai settled into his bed a little more snugly for some quality sleep.

Hopefully the next day didn't live up to the foreboding feeling crawling inside of him.


	4. Restorative Efforts

Author's note:

Sorry for the delay! This has been fiddled with for God knows how long, but now that I have the story mostly outlined (and a spin-off fic as well :D), it should all be coming along much more quickly!

ENJOY!

- - / end transmission - -

Gai had been the first to show at training the next morning. However, he cut his teammates some slack considering he was an hour early.

The morning sky was beautiful, and the sun was beginning its slow ascent. The cold dew on the grass reflected the colors, making it seem picture perfect.

He took the peaceful opportunity to do his morning stretches and focusing practices, things he rarely had the time to do properly when his students were present. Also, he needed the extra time to evaluate his situation with Lee, he admitted to himself. He couldn't stand the way things had been between them lately-- the tension was absolutely unbearable. Their conversations were practically nonexistant, when before Gai had began his regression away from Lee, they had been plentiful and amusing.

Gai finished his stretches and sat in his meditation pose. Although he wasn't exactly in a peaceful state of mind now that he was thinking of Lee, he felt he could now search properly for a solution. It obviously couldn't stay this way, he resolved. His pushing Lee away had only worsened things and made them more apparent and noticable, not only to him and Lee, but possibly to others. He couldn't have that-- it bugged him enough personally that he was so much older than his student. Hell, he was his teacher! If he was uncomfortable with it, he knew others would feel the same way.

His relationship with Lee had always pushed the limits, however it had never entered the sexual realm, which, since Lee was much more mature, it would. And as dirty as it made him feel, he knew he wanted to have that with Lee. But that was beside the point. He was going to open himself back up to Lee. Because, even through all this contemplation on their actual relationship, the only thing that really changed his mind was seeing Lee unhappy and in emotional stress. However, he still resolved to not start anything with the teen. He was still too young.

Eyes closed, he heard the approach of two pairs of feet, which he knew belonged to Neji and Ten Ten.

They each walked up to him, one on each side, and took a seat.

"Ohayo," greeted Ten Ten with a smile as she settled herself. Gai stopped his 'meditation' and opened his eyes, grinning like a mad man as usual, to greet his students.

"Good morning, guys!"

Neji looked around then at his watch. The fact that Lee was going to be the last one to show up was one that didn't even need to be stated at this point. They all fell into the same rhythm as usual without Lee, doing their stretches together, counting aloud.

After the second repitition, loud, clumsy footsteps could be heard from the forest, crunching their way to the clearing. The three ninja looked to the direction of the noise, expecting Lee, when all of a sudden the sound of the footsteps stopped followed by a dull thud. Looking at each other curiously, the three silently communicated, gesturing that Gai should go check it out.

Walking into the forest, Gai felt he didn't even need to move around stealthily- he had a hunch as to what had happened. He had walked past a few trees before he saw an orange and green colored leg sticking out from behind a massive tree. Smiling to himself, he went over to investigate exactly what he had predicted he'd see.

Lee was sprawled on the ground, snoring like a zombie, completely oblivious as to where he was or what he was doing. He had always had this nasty habit of sleepwalking, just as Gai did, but instead of suddenly waking up, he'd shut totally down and fall back into a deep sleep.

Gai kneeled beside the sleeping boy's head, which was mussed and messy with a few leaves and twigs in it. It was an adorable sight, Gai admitted, and the wind blowing his already tousled hair around wasn't making it any less adorable.

"Lee," he called, knowing it probably wouldn't affect the boy.

Lee rolled over in his sleep towards the voice, curling himself towards Gai. Gai smiled softly. He leaned in closer towards Lee, cupped his face, and spoke a little louder.

"Lee-chan, wake up"

Eyelids fluttering, Lee woke up in the middle of the forest face to face with his beloved sensei. He smiled and yawned, only then realizing that Gai's hand was touching his face. Any morning brainfuzz was thoroughly gone, and an instant blush covered his face.

"O-Ohayo, Gai-sensei," he said breathily.

"Good morning," Gai responded, stroking his thumb over Lee's cheek once before standing up. "You're a bit late again. Neji and Ten Ten are waiting."

Lee jumped up. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"

Gai chuckled, already starting his way back to the training clearing. "I know, I know. Don't worry, let's just go."

He stepped up the pace, quickly following his sensei. But Lee had to wonder: What exactly was that? Why did Gai all of a sudden show him affection? Had he decided to finally stop the stone-cold act? Lee could only hope so. He and Gai had been so close before- always touching and hugging and laughing without a care in the world. Lee's intentions had always been the same- only now they were definitely more mature, and he could only think of that as the reason why Gai had shut him out.

However, things were starting to look better.

...He hoped.

----

Tired, sweaty, and sore, the four ninja parted ways in the early evening, each eager to get to their respective showers and food.

The streets were busy with everyone coming home from work or training, and the sounds of conversations and clatterings of nearby restaraunts added to the restless atmosphere. The smell of the streets was that of sizzling steaks and steaming rice and only served to make the tired workers' mouths water.

However, walking together down the same road they walked every day, Gai and Lee were oblivious to their surroundings and completely engulfed in their conversation. Gai had found it funny that Lee had to do a little victory dance when Neji fumbled or fell, just to spur him on.

"I can't help but do it!" exclaimed Lee. "It's like...YES! He's down for the count! And then I dance."

Gai was laughing heartily. "Well, I can't deny the fact that the dance is hilarious."

Lee chuckled too, and relaxed his arms behind his head. "Yeah, well, I also do it so he's more cautious. If he screws up, he sees me dance and taunt him. So it'll make him want to screw up less!"

Gai inwardly appreciated his logic, although he knew Lee still had pleasure in teasing Neji.

They approached Lee's street, and soon the two stopped to a halt. The smells of the restaraunts were getting to the both of them by now, whether they knew it or not, but neither of them knew how to break it off. However, Gai confidently broke the short silence with a question.

"Lee," Gai began. "Want to eat with me tonight?"

Lee's countenance brightened immensely, and a tinge of nervousness could be seen lingering in his eyes. "YES! I mean...Of course, Gai-sensei. I want to uh...Get some clothes at my house, though. Is that okay?"

Gai smiled. He was happy- everything tense about yesterday was gradually disappating. He was happy he was doing this. "It's fine, Lee. I'll come with you."

"Okay."

Lee smiled the entire way there. Gai stood behind him as he fumbled for his keys nervously and opened the door.

Gai was immediately reminded of the smell of Lee as he entered his house. It smelled of lavender- a scent that Gai had always associated with maturity and warmth. His house was immaculate and cool, mostly because Lee was never there, and when he was, he usually cleaned, slept, or showered. There wasn't much furniture in the house to speak of, either. He knew there had to be a bed and a dresser, but other than that he only saw a table with a few chairs, a couch, and a stand for his TV set. Sadly, Lee's house always had this lonely feeling eminating from it. Gai entered the open kitchen and dining room, and sat down in one of the chairs at the table to wait for Lee.

"I'll be quick, I promise!" said Lee as he ran into his bedroom to grab some clothes. He didn't know what to get! Well, it wasn't like he had an extensive selection to choose from- he wasn't that fashion conscious to begin with, it was always about function for him. He decided to go with his jeans and a normal white t-shirt. But then he realized...He didn't want to change right now. He was smelly.

He ran back out into the dining room, clothes haphazardly crumpled in his hands, and Gai could tell he was having a problem- it was written all over his face.

"What's wrong?"

"Uh," began Lee, "Um, is it okay if I shower here? Or do you just want me to go to your place and shower?"

"You can shower at my place, no rush or anything. It's not like a mind a sweaty, smelly Lee, though." Gai winked.

Lee blushed. Hard. "U-Um, Okay! We can go!"

And with that, he rushed out of the door ahead of Gai-sensei, who was chuckling. Lee was really too much.

Lee was silent on the trek to Gai's house. However, Gai wasn't all that worried. If that weird smile was any indiction of Lee's state of being, he didn't think he had anything to worry about. Or maybe he did.

They walked up the stairs together to his apartment, with Lee making a big show of how sore his legs were when really they weren't sore at all.

"Gaiiiiiii-senseiiiiiiii," he complained, "my legsss...They're so sore." He slumped down on the ground, grappling the handrails desperately, looking as if he were actually in pain. Then, his head shot up with a mischievous smile on his face that could rival a demon's.

"Carry me?"

Now it was Gai's turn to blush. "Stop being stupid, Lee."

He grabbed the boy's arm and helped him up, all the while Lee was snickering. Gai supposed Lee's crush wouldn't put a damper on his antics.

The two finally made it to the door, and as they walked in, Lee was met with the same scent as before- sandalwood and cinnamon. Ode de Gai, he decided to call it. At that thought, however, he let out a snicker.

"And what are you laughing about now?" questioned Gai.

"Nothing at all. Maybe I'll tell you one day when it doesn't sound so pathetic inside my head," Lee said with a grin. Gai gave him a look that can only be defined as a "wtf" look, and went into the kitchen.

Lee sighed, knowing that he was only giddy because Gai was beginning to act like he used to towards him. He was soaring right now, for he knew that they would be okay. Hell, they might even be better than okay! But, then again, Lee didn't want to get his hopes up. And then that thought served to dampen his mood a bit. And with another sigh, he dramatically flopped onto the sofa he had spent the night on two nights before.

Gai stood before him, arms folded, his body eminating an aura of comfort and authority in his own home. "So, what do you want to eat?"

Pondering his options, Lee started humming as his gaze flew skyward, searching for an answer in the ceiling. "Mmm...I don't know. I'm pretty much in the mood for anything as long as I can eat mass quantities of it."

"So Ramen? Sushi? Nah, maybe sushi's too expensive for the both of us..." Gai trailed off as he went deeper into thought.

"You know, I do want to eat in though. I'm not in the mood to be out, really, unless you want to," stated Lee, hoping he wasn't being too demanding or anything.

Coming to a solution, Gai placed his hands on his hips and smiled. "Eating in would be nice, actually. How about you go take that shower you wanted, and I'll go grab us some good grub, eh?"

"Perfect," replied Lee.

Taking this as a cue, Lee got up and headed towards the bathroom, only to realize he had never really known how to turn on the shower.

Turning around slowly, he sheepily asked, "Um, how do you turn on the shower again?"

Gai laughed and brushed past him into the bathroom.

The bathroom was a little more than just comfortable--another feature of Gai's apartment that Lee appreciated. With its two white marble sinks and its spacious shower, Lee felt almost luxurious when in it.

Stepping into the shower, Gai pressed the button underneath the showerhead to start it, set the temperature of the water, and turned to face Lee goofily.

"It doesn't take a genius to turn on my shower, Lee. That's about the third time you've asked me!"

Lee blushed. "Stop mocking me! So I'm a little absent-minded..."

Chuckling, Gai stepped out of the shower to stand before Lee. "I'm not mocking you, Lee-chan," he began to smooth out Lee's hair, "But as you said, you can be a bit silly at times."

By this time, Lee was beet-red. Unable to speak, he just stood there until Gai walked out of the bathroom.

"Alright, I'm off! I'll be back soon!" he said from down the hallway, and Lee heard the front door close.

With a sigh of confused relief, Lee began to undress and stepped into the already running shower. The barrage of the warm bullets of the water hit his back mercifully and accurately, and he welcomed it with a moan of comfort. However, as his body was relaxing, his mind was racing. Things were really looking up, and it definitely wasn't just in his head. Gai's affection was slowly but surely returning, along with their flirty banter. He was soaring in the aspect of restored normalcy, but was also already fiercefully wishing for the next step to occur. After all, he didn't want Gai-sensei. He wanted only Gai.

As he lathered his hair, he smiled in excitement. Gai had caressed him, flirted with him, smoothed out his hair-- all these dramatic changes had happened all within the day! Despite the warm shower, Lee felt and knew that the source of the warmth he felt radiated from the inside out.

He turned the shower off, stepped out, and grabbed a fluffy, white towel from the rack. Catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he noted that he looked devilishly handsome with his hair skewed and plastered all over his forehead. He threw his head forward, and whipped it back again, giving him a ridiculously out-of-control look. 'Oh yeah,' he thought. 'Dead sexy.'

After changing into his clothes, he tossed his towel over the rack and trekked over to the couch he was now growing attached to. As soon as he began to wonder what was taking Gai so long, he heard Gai opening the door.

"Welcome home!" he greeted.

Gai attempted a half-smile and shifted his bags of food as he closed the door behind him. Lee's smile faded a bit as he got up to go help him with the food, which, by the smell, seemed to be yakisoba and a variety of a few other things he couldn't pin down.

"Is everything okay?" Lee asked.

Putting the food down on the island in the kitchen, Gai sighed as he started to take out the food.

"I was briefly summoned by the Hokage, and I have to leave in about 15 minutes for a day and a half mission."

Lee looked up at him as he placed the food down. His smile had completely faded, and had been replaced with a half-hearted attempt at concealing his disappointment. Gai frowned, upset at the fact that he was upsetting Lee.

"I'm sorry..." he trailed off.

"No, no, it's okay. Duty calls. I know the drill." he responded, eyes downcast. He really had been looking forward to spending the night with him.

Gai looked at him with sadness. "Yeah, I know. Anyways, don't let this ruin your dinner," he said as he opened up the cartons of food. "Go on, eat up!"

Lee sat down at the island counter and pulled up a carton. He was about to start when he saw Gai begin to gather his things.

"Wait, Gai, you're not leaving without eating, are you?"

Gai paused. "Well..."

"C'mon, you've been starving for a while now. At least have a few bites so I don't feel bad about you not eating." Lee said with a smile.

Smiling, Gai went to go get his things. "Alright. I will. Just let me grab my things, and I'll eat until I leave."

"Okay," Lee responded.

Even though he was smiling, he was still rather upset. Hell, he really did feel stupid for feeling upset, too. Missions happened all the time, so why was it bothering him so much? It was only a day and a half mission, too. Piece of cake.

He knew the answer, though. He just wanted to spend time with Gai. He really, really just wanted to spend time with Gai.

Soon enough, Gai was packed and ready to go. He took up a seat next to Lee, pulled the nearest food carton to him, and began to chow down. Lee slowed down eating and watched him devour his food like a lunatic. Desperate times call for desperate measures, he supposed.

"Are you even tasting that?" Lee joked.

Gai chuckled midchew and swallowed. "Yes, Lee. I'm tasting it. I just need to hurry."

Finishing it up, Gai swooped up his things and headed for the hallway, where he stood awkwardly, trying to think of something to say. Lee got up and sat on the armchair of the couch, facing him.

"Alright, guess it's time to go. You can stay here until I get back, keep an eye on the place and such. Okay?" Gai said.

Lee smiled. At least that was some consolation. "Yeah, that'd be great. Just be careful and kick some ass, okay?"

Chuckling, Gai said, "Yeah, okay. You know I will." After looking at Lee for a few moments, he also added, "I am sorry, Lee."

"And it really is okay, Gai-sensei. Take care," Lee said as he got up to stand before him.

"Take care, Lee." After a few awkward moments, Lee reached his arms over his shoulders to hug him, to which Gai responded with his arms around Lee's waist. It was brief, but neither could deal with the repercussions and after thoughts of a longer hug at that moment.

"See you later," said Lee.

Gai waved, smiling, and walked out the door.

And Lee fell back onto the couch.

What a bummer.

He decided that the food on the counter really shouldn't go to waste, so he went back to devouring it. It didn't taste as good anymore for some reason.

That night, Lee crept into Gai's bed, treating the event like a guilty pleasure, and snuggled between the confines of his scent and sheets. The sense of comfort and familiarity enveloped his senses, and he fell into a deep, warm sleep. He hadn't felt so close to feeling so at home in a long time.


	5. Halfway

Author's Note:

So hello. It's been a while. ...Don't look at me like that, life happens! But I refused to give up on this story:) I hope it's not too late, and that I still have some wonderful readers willing to come back. This story's pretty much mapped out now, and I have a spin-off on the way about our beautiful blonde, Naruto. You'll see later how everything intertwines.

While this chapter is short, I just wanted to get back into the swing of things so that my future chapters don't suck in terms of writing. Feedback is appreciated.

Thanks for stickin' around.

-Arkashad

--------------------------------

Drifting between consciousness and sleep, Lee was vaguely aware of his sluggish heartbeat and the softness of the sheets that enveloped him. He sighed, snuggling further into one of the many pillows that adorned Gai's bed. Inhaling deeply, the smell of his sensei both invigorated him and made him all the more comfortable. He was smiling-- it didn't take much thought to know whose bed he was in.

Rolling onto his back, he sighed happily. The intimacy of him sleeping in Gai's bed made him believe that this was quite possibly one of the best ways to sleep. Of course, the dreams that accompanied the experience were, for lack of a better word, awesome. Well, at least he knew they were awesome from the feeling that they left within him. The only things he could actually recall from the dreams were endless touches, long embraces, and laughter that made his belly hurt.

He wanted to wake up feeling like this every day, he thought.

After lying in bed for what seemed like hours, Lee decided to get up and make himself some food, because only food could actually motivate him out of this bed of awesomeness. Removing the covers, he slid out and padded his way into the dimly lit kitchen. He glanced at the clock, nearly mortified at the time.

"Ten...Thirty?! Man, talk about letting yourself go," Lee chided himself. He never rose after 9; this was definitely a rarity for him.

Shrugging it off, he went to search the fridge, only to find that little to nothing was actually in it. Some eggs, leeks, and what looked like some kind of energy drink summed up his options, which Lee deemed as pretty pathetic. Deciding to make do with what he had, he started making an omelet, starting first by taking out the pans from one of the cabinets. He had watched Gai remove and put back things enough times to know where pretty much everything was located.

He set to work on his omelet and let his mind wander. Gai said he would be gone for the rest of the day, so that would mean he'd be back around dinner time. Lee smiled as an idea came to him. He could most definitely make him an awesome dinner to eat when he got back. He figured it was the least he could do for Gai considering he had let him spend the night, not to mention all of the other things he'd done for him that Lee hadn't given him thanks for. So, after he ate his breakfast, Lee was going to go to the market for some ingredients.

And fridge necessities. A barren fridge was of no use where Lee was concerned.

He watched his omelet cook, figuring it done, slid it onto a plate and sat down at the stove island to munch on his breakfast.

It felt strange eating alone in another person's house. Even if it was Gai's, a second home to him, the eerie quiet of the house was more deafening than that of his own. At least at his place no one else was supposed to be living there. The silence was expected.

Finishing his food, he quickly cleaned up his mess and ran for the door, eager to hear something other than the sounds of his own making.

The streets of Konoha's marketplace were animated and lively, full of the hustle and bustle that Lee felt so familiar with. Smiling to himself, he admitted he was happy to have had settled into such a cohesive, warm community.

Weaving through the crowd, Lee arrived at the vegetable stand. At the sight of the variety of colors and shapes of the vegetables, he realized that, well, he wasn't the greatest cook in the world. He didn't know what a majority of these vegetables were, let alone what to make with them. He decided to settle with what he knew.

Cautiously, he took a couple onions, another leek since just ate the last one, some tomatoes and whatever else he recognized and could function with. He was so absorbed in his task that he didn't recognize the masculine laughter coming from the butcher's stand beside him.

"Oi, Lee!" cried out an obnoxiously loud voice. Lee looked up from his vegetable dilemma to see Kiba waving to him with Shino standing solemnly by his side. Akamaru was busy happily chowing down on a raw steak at Kiba's feet.

"Hey guys!" he shouted back. Apparently finished with their errand, they walked over to Lee to converse with him.

Kiba patted him on the shoulder. "Hey man, how goes it with the veggies? I can't stand those damn things."

"That's because you're purely carnivorous. You don't even give them a chance," replied Lee with a grin. Kiba nodded like a little kid.

"Cooking for someone?" Asked the typically silent Shino. "Those are a lot of vegetables."

Caught off guard, Lee looked surprised from the boys to his armful of vegetables. Okay, so he took a few more than necessary. Well, maybe a lot more.

"Guess I got a little overzealous," said Lee, smiling as he began to put some back. The boys arched their eyebrows, ignoring the fact that he didn't really answer the question.

"So, are you feeling better? I haven't seen you since the party," stated Kiba as Lee's face took on a guilty look.

"Yeah, I'm better. Sorry for the drama," Lee replied.

Shino shifted. "I shouldn't have given you the alcohol. I didn't remember."

Lee looked to Shino, whose face was, as usual, shrouded in mystery. "It's fine, really. I was looking for an excuse, it's my fault."

Kiba smiled. "Well, either way, maybe next time there won't be so much alcohol. I don't think I can handle Sakura and Ino being that drunk for a long while."

They all laughed. Kiba patted Lee on the back again. "We've got to get going. Good luck with dinner."

"Thanks," said a shy Lee. With that, the boys waved and left.

Lee smiled as he continued with his shopping. He really adored his friends, he thought. It was great to have people like them around, even just to make him smile.

After browsing the stands for a few more minutes, Lee decided on curry for dinner. It was one of Gai's favorites, and he had made it a few times before for himself. It would be perfect, he thought.

Gathering all the necessary ingredients, Lee began walking back to Gai's place in the midday sun, happy to have a task on his hands to accomplish until Gai would get home.

As he approached the house, he noticed a man standing outside Gai's door on the second floor of the apartment building. Walking up the stairs, he realized that it was Raido, one of Gai's peers and supposed friends. He had only seen him from afar before, however.

Lee approached him. "Can I help you?"

Raido, who had been leaning on the railing across from the door, turned to Lee with a mildly surprised look on his face, sizing him up.

"I'm looking for Maito Gai. He around?" Raido questioned.

Lee shifted his bags his other hand, beginning to fumble with his key set in his pants. "He was sent on a mission yesterday evening, and he's supposed to get back sometime later tonight. Want me to tell him you came?"

Raido looked surprised, and a tad aggravated. "Sure," he said begrudgingly, "I mean, what are you, his neighbor or something?"

Lee chuckled. "No, I'm staying with him for now. He's my sensei."

"Sensei's don't typically let students stay in their house," Raido scathed. "How old are you, anyway?"

At this point, Lee paused, now irritated himself. "Fifteen, but what is it to you?"

Raido's eyes widened as he laughed. "Fifteen?! Damn, you're a young one. Well, whatever, tell him I dropped by. Later, kid."

With that, Raido left Lee standing by the door, bewildered. What the hell was he insinuating? What the hell did that guy know? And who the hell was he to Gai?

Irate, Lee opened the door to Gai's apartment, slammed it behind him and entered the kitchen, dropping the groceries on the counter. He grabbed a cup of water from the fridge, settled himself down and tried to push the incident from out of the forefront of his mind.

After gathering himself, he decided not to think to heavily on the subject, and began to cook dinner. Gai would be home soon, and he wanted to have everything done by the time he got back.

Losing himself in the preparation of the curry, Lee's thoughts began to fall back on the generally good trend his relationship with Gai seemed to be going on. Knowing this was giving him so much energy that he couldn't remove the smile from his face.

However, the typical doubts began to gnaw at him as well. He was young. Well, Raido also thought that as well. Raido basically was the mirror of society that Lee was trying so hard not see, for everything dictated that what he wanted was wrong, and what he felt was wrong. He had enough things wrong with him already, he thought. He couldn't do any type of jitsu other than taijitsu, and while that was what tied him and Gai together, it was a disability that ate at his mind constantly. He always felt inferior to everyone else in every category. Gai knew this, he had known it himself his whole life. But to have one more thing on both of their consciences for the community to frown upon was something that, while Lee would do much to escape, knew that he both could not and would not. Gai was too important to him.

Realizing that his mind had drifted to a place that he had been trying hard to avoid since the conflict with Raido, Lee derailed his thoughts. He looked at the clock, seeing that it was nearly dinner time. His stomach tightened in anticipation. As he stood over the stove, tending to his almost finished curry, his mind went back to where it usually did: Gai.

After about a half an hour, Lee was cleaning the pots when he heard the door open and tired footsteps rub themselves on the doormat. He couldn't stop himself from smiling excitedly.

"What is that wonderful smell?!" Yelled Gai from the hallway as he removed his gear. He walked into the kitchen, greeting Lee with a huge smile as he looked aroundat his student's work. A large pot of curry stood on the counter, with two plates set in front of it in front of the chairs. Gai was moved, and a little impressed.

"I made curry," said Lee with a smile as he dried his hands on a towel.

Gai walked over to him, embracing him suddenly and strongly. "You're so adorable! Thank you, Lee." He then abruptly broke the embrace and went to go serve the food for the both of them.

Lee stood there smiling softly. It was always going to be like this, he thought bittersweetly. Something halfway, something that he would always have to settle with. The embraces would never be as long as he'd like, and the exchanges would never be as intimate as he'd want. If it was with Gai, however, he could settle forever.

He went to go sit next to Gai on the island counter, and Gai served him some food. They both settled in to eat, and with a dramatic "Itadakimasu", they were delving into the curry.

"Wonderful," Gai said between bites. "You're cooking for me from now on, Lee."

Lee chuckled. He was surprised it came out as good as it did, and he was happy that Gai liked it so much. "Thanks, I'd be happy to. It's pretty therapeutic."

"So how was the mission?" Lee asked, attempting to start conversation.

"It went well," responded Gai. "I was teamed with two anbu who were also on stand-by. It wasn't a very complicated mission, just standard security of the northern region. I kicked some serious ass."

They both laughed. "Well," said Lee, "I'm glad it went well."

The conversation was getting stale. They were both excited and so happy to be in each other's company, but there was a lingering awkwardness. Gai didn't usually come home to someone, let alone a well-cooked meal. It was amazing, but at the same time a little disconcerting considering the circumstances.

"So what did you do while I was gone? Obviously you cooked up a storm, which I'm thankful for, by the way," said Gai.

"Well," said Lee thoughtfully, "I ran into Kiba and Shino at the market for a few minutes. That was fun, I always like seeing them." He paused. "Oh, and some guy was here to see you. Raido, I think. He was not friendly, to say the least."

Gai sighed deeply. "I forgot all about him. I was supposed to see him today. I'm sorry you had to deal with him, he can be a pain at times."

Lee was silent for a bit. "So, who is he? A friend?" He continued eating.

"Yeah, no one important, really," Gai responded a bit evasively.

"Hm," said Lee, trailing off. "He was surprised about my age for some reason. Said that teachers don't let students stay with them typically. He seemed irritated."

Lee eyed Gai after saying this, gaging his response. It was obvious what he was alluding to, and it was the first time it was alluded to so blatantly.

Gai's eyes went a bit unfocused ahead of him, deep in thought. He shifted and looked down to the counter. "Well," he began, "It's none of his business. He has other intentions in saying that, trust me. You're a dear student to me," he said thoughtfully. He turned to look at Lee, who glanced sideways at him. "Don't give it too much thought, Lee."

With the way Gai had physically responded, Lee knew that what was unspoken between them was also weighing down on Gai as much as it was on himself.

"Alright," Lee said softly. Gai looked at him, seeing that he was apparently a bit upset at the incident, and gently placed his hand on his student's head.

Lee looked to him, almost pleadingly. He wanted an answer, he wanted this to not be wrong, he wanted Gai to come closer, but he only seemed to push him away. He was shocked that Gai was even touching him at this point after what happened.

Gai smiled. "Honestly, Lee, don't worry," he said reassuringly as he ran his hand through his student's hair, only once and briefly. It was enough to make Lee want to melt.

Lee looked down at his plate, basking in the reassurance. Gai wasn't running away. This was something entirely new, something that he could work with.

They cleaned up their plates, chatting about pleasantries and nothingness, and decided that Lee should stay tonight on the couch again.

Gai had been more than just a little upset at Raido. Personally, he knew the man had no place speaking to Lee the way he did, especially with what he was vaguely alluding to. He didn't want Lee to feel unwanted, like he didn't have a place to go. He felt so much for the boy, there was no way he was going to be swayed or bothered by Raido's comments. However, he was bothered. He knew it was inappropriate, but he also knew that Lee was an exception. Truth was he couldn't help himself.

Raido's comments about Lee's age also sunk in a little more than they should have. Gai was well aware of Lee's age, and he knew perfectly well what Raido was insinuating. But in response, he really just wanted to tell Raido to shove it. Lee was going to stay with him. And Gai wasn't going to touch a damn hair on his head, no matter what. Lee was his student, and nothing was going to change about that until no one could say a word against Lee's age. And that, thought Gai sorrowfully, was going to be a long wait.

As he made up his bed on the couch, Lee smiled. He was closer to Gai this way, on the couch rather than at home, alone. He could wake up to Gai, though not in the same bed. And he could have someone to talk to when they were both in the house. That was something he could settle for, he thought with a sad smile.

Halfway, he thought, isn't so bad after all.


End file.
